Stable Diffusion WebUI Forge vs SwarmUI
Stable Diffusion WebUI Forge
github.com
SwarmUI
swarmui.netSide by side
| Figure | Stable Diffusion WebUI Forge | SwarmUI |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · AI image generators | 8.9 (#12) | 8.9 (#14) |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Image editing | Yes | Yes |
| License | The repository identifies its license as AGPL-3.0. | SwarmUI is free and open source under the MIT License. |
| Output formats | PNG,JPG,JPEG,WebP,AVIF,GIF | PNG,JPG,WebP |
| Project status | The README says Forge is under construction and that its documentation, UI, and functionality may change with updates. | The README describes the project as in Almost-Release status and identifies native LLM-assisted prompting as a feature target not yet implemented. |
| Purpose | Forge is a platform built on Stable Diffusion WebUI and Gradio to ease development, optimize resource management, speed up inference, and study experimental features. | SwarmUI is a modular AI image generation web interface focused on accessible powertools, performance, and extensibility. |
| Reference images | Yes | Yes |
| Support | The maintainer invites users to open issues for problems and says they will check them every several days. | The maker directs users to the Discord community for support, discussion, and announcements. |
| Text-to-image | Yes | Yes |
Plans
In their own words
Stable Diffusion WebUI Forge
Stable Diffusion WebUI Forge is a free, open-source platform built on Stable Diffusion WebUI for image generation and editing. It supports text-to-image creation, reference images, and image editing, with PNG, JPG, JPEG, WebP, AVIF, and GIF listed as output formats. The project aims to ease development, manage resources, speed inference, and explore experimental features. Its interface is based on Gradio, and the README offers a one-click installation package that includes Git and Python. Windows launch scripts, shell scripts, a macOS environment script, and source installation instructions are listed. Forge includes GPU memory management and components such as LoRAs, ControlNets, IP-Adapters, Instant-IDs, reference-only methods, and extensions. Several Flux BitsandBytes and GGUF variants are natively supported, with GPU weight and swap controls; some variants support LoRA. The README lists txt2img and img2img API endpoints as normal, while improved Flux support is pending. The project is described as under construction, so its documentation, interface, and functionality may change. Its license is AGPL-3.0.
SwarmUI
SwarmUI is a modular web interface for generating images with AI, with support for video and some audio models. Its listed image models include Krea 2, Stable Diffusion, and Flux; video examples include MiniMax H3, Wan, and LTX-2, and ACE-Step is listed for audio. A beginner-oriented Generate tab sits alongside a Comfy Workflow tab that exposes the raw graph for advanced work. SwarmUI can install ComfyUI and use it as a backend, or connect to AUTOMATIC1111. Its tools include an image editor, automatic workflow generation, and Grid Generator, and users can add extensions and custom node packs. By default, it runs on the user's own computer and says it collects no user data. Windows, Linux, and M-Series Mac are listed as compatible; a modern GPU is required, with Nvidia RTX 30xx or newer recommended. Cloud GPU options include a free Google Colab option and templates for Runpod and Vast.ai. SwarmUI is free and open source under the MIT License.